Sabres would like to repeat recent history vs. Maple Leafs (Mar 15, 2018)
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres will look for a repeat performance from a little more than a week ago when they face off with the rival Toronto Maple Leafs once again.
The teams will meet for a return matchup in Buffalo on Thursday.
On March 5, the struggling Sabres (22-35-12) put forth one of their best efforts of the season against one of the top teams in the league by defeating the Maple Leafs 5-3.
Good news for Buffalo is that star center Jack Eichel is nearing his return to the lineup after missing several weeks with an ankle injury. Eichel skated with the team as a full participant in practice for the first time on Tuesday, but Eichel will miss the game against the Maple Leafs before a potential return on Saturday.
"He felt really good (Wednesday)," Sabres coach Phil Housley said, according to the team's website. "It's one of those things (where) we're trying to ease him back into things. He's been out a long time, he's got to get some practices in."
With Eichel out of the lineup, forwards like Sam Reinhart have helped to pick up the slack for the Sabres on offense.
Reinhart has been a force during the second half of the season and opened the scoring against the Leafs on March 5. Reinhart has (38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) in 69 games. Ryan O'Reilly, who also scored against the Leafs in that game, is second on the team with 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists).
Sabres winger Kyle Okposo is making progress in his return from a concussion, Housley said.
"Very good, better than we thought," Housley said of Okposo, according to the team's website. "He's really responding well. So we'll continue to look at that every day. But I like where he is right now."
Buffalo also recalled young forward Justin Bailey from the AHL's Rochester Americans on Wednesday. It was his third recall of the season.
Bailey has eight points in 48 career games with Buffalo. Evan Rodrigues and Seth Griffith should be available after missing time with upper- body injuries.
Buffalo is coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Days before that, Buffalo picked up its first shootout win of the season in a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators.
The Maple Leafs (41-22-7) are coming off a wild 6-5 shootout win over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night. Before that, the Maple Leafs snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
Maintaining their playoff position is key for the Leafs, who are hoping to make a long postseason run this year.
"We're very conscious of the teams behind us trying to catch us, but we're also trying to catch the teams that are above us," center Nazem Kadri said, according to the team's website. "Every single night, we still need these points, and home ice (in the postseason) is a priority for us and any team so that's our mindset."
